


Starlight

by dragons_and_angels



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crushes, First Time, Getting Together, HP Next Gen Fest 2019, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hufflepuff James Sirius Potter, M/M, Miscommunication, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-16 19:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21276461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragons_and_angels/pseuds/dragons_and_angels
Summary: Fancying Scorpius when he was nothing but friendly with James was one thing, but fancying Scorpius when he was in love with Al was another level of hurt.Written for the prompt 'James has a massive crush on Scorpius but thinks Scorpius likes Albus.'





	Starlight

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to my beta for all their help! This fic is ten times better because they helped me out. Thanks to whoever prompted this (and all the other James Sirius/Scorpius) and thanks again to the mods for running this fest! It's one of my favourite HP fests . :) This fic ignores Cursed Child and any extra content completely, so everyone is in slightly different houses than you would think.

**** When his brother Albus was born, James had tried to send him back to St Mungo's by owl post. A week later, he gave Albus his favourite stuffed dragon—which had been a present from Uncle Charlie—because Albus was crying and he didn't want his little brother to be sad. When James was told this story he thought it summed up his relationship with Albus. He couldn't hate Albus even when he wanted to, and sometimes he really,  _ really _ wanted to.

And now—as he looked over at his brother and his best friend Scorpius from across the Great Hall—was one of those times. 

"You know, it gets to a point where it becomes a little sad," Louis said kindly as James sighed into his breakfast. 

Freddie was sitting next to James, ignoring the snide comments about going to eat at the his own House table. Professor Sprout and the Headmistress had said okay to him eating breakfast with them, so eat breakfast with them he would. 

"It's way past that point now, Louis," Freddie said, only for James to elbow him in the side. Giving his cousin a glare meant he could distract himself from the fact Scorpius had just brushed Albus' hair off his forehead in an unbearably intimate gesture. "It was sad when he couldn't stop glaring at Jeremy Wicker just because he went on a date with Scorpius. Now, it's more pathetic than anything else."

James ignored his cousins, too used to their jokes to care much about what they were saying. They weren't wrong, it was sad and pathetic that he had been pining after his brother's best friend for the past year and a half, to the point where he had disliked every single wizard Scorpius had dated. 

"Any ideas about how to stop would be really appreciated," he said, looking away from Scorpius in order to look down at his breakfast.

"You could stop glaring at people that Scorpius likes," Freddie pointed out but James was ready for this. 

"Considering the person he likes is Al, I don't think that's going to be a problem." He gave a stunned looking Freddie a smile, though he didn't think it would look very happy.

"Wait, you think Scorpius likes Albus?" Louis shoved his head closer to the two of them and spoke quietly. He had far more discretion than Freddie, understanding that James wouldn't want his helpless crush to be spread around school.

"Are you going to tell me he doesn't?" James glanced over at the Slytherin table to see Scorpius putting one of his pancakes onto Albus' plate and laughing when Albus dragged his sleeve through a dish of baked beans.

Louis and Freddie were both tellingly silent next to him for a moment, and James knew they were watching the same spectacle that he was. "I've never seen Malfoy look so smiley," Louis murmured, seemingly without realising how much this would hurt James to hear.

"No getting away from Scorpius now," Freddie added. "Sorry, Jamie. That sucks."

"Yeah." James pushed his plate away, no longer feeling hungry. Objectively, he knew he should feel grateful that Scorpius liked Albus. He was a good guy and he would never hurt Scorpius. Whether James wanted to admit it or not, he knew they would make a really good couple. But, deep down, he couldn’t help but wish Scorpius had picked him instead. 

As much as it hurt though, he couldn’t hate Albus. He had tried – and failed – on multiple occasions. James couldn’t even hate him now, as he watched the boy he thought he might love coo over Albus’ inability to eat his breakfast without making a mess.

Okay, he might not be able to hate Albus, but he could be a bit resentful of his younger brother. It wasn’t fair. He was the better Potter son in every way and now he got Scorpius as well?

James downed his cup of tea and stood up from the table. "I'm going flying. You two coming?"

"We'll meet you there," Louis replied without stirring from his seat. James had a feeling that he and Freddie were going to talk about him after he left. But the alone time was just what he needed, so he didn't bother to argue, instead hurrying off to the Hufflepuff Common Room to fetch his broomstick.

James loved flying, more than anything. It had started when his dad used to take him up on the broom in front of him. When he had gotten older, it had stopped meaning quality time with his dad and started being something he loved just for itself. It was also the thing which calmed him down faster than anything. After a circuit of the Quidditch Pitch, he felt embarrassed over his behaviour at breakfast and resolved to apologise to Albus as soon as he could, though his brother would never know why he got an apology. 

"Hey, James." 

Suddenly, Scorpius was there in front of him and James halted, feeling off-balance and very self-conscious about the fact that he was windswept from the broom ride.

"Hi, Scorpius. You alright?" He watched as Scorpius shifted his weight between feet and kept his eyes on James' broomstick, rather than his face. "Is everything alright with Al?"

Scorpius glanced up and looked James directly in the eye. His pale face went pink and he dropped his gaze again. "Yeah, yeah, he's fine."

James relaxed a little. "Okay, what's been going on?"

He waited a few moments longer. Scorpius seemed to be getting redder and redder and James wondered what he wanted to ask him. Surely if it was something this embarrassing, he could ask Albus himself. Unless it was something to do with sex, in which case James didn't care how good a brother and friend he was trying to be, he would be mounting the broom and heading to Hogsmeade.

"James, about Hogsmeade—" Scorpius started to say and James mentally jolted. It felt like Scorpius had just read his mind, which is not a thought he was comfortable having. Suddenly his numerous fantasies about Scorpius felt far more dangerous.

"Scor!" Now Albus was on the Quidditch pitch, his arms folded and looking more grumpy than usual. "What are you doing here? You hate Quidditch." Only when he had finished making this observation, he turned to his brother. "James, keep those friends of yours on a leash."

"They're your cousins too," James replied, knowing exactly who Albus was talking about without needing him to explain.

"Not when they're being that annoying. Now they're only your friends."

"I'll let them know you’ve disowned them from the family," James replied dryly. "What did you want to ask me, Scorpius?" The boy in question shook his head frantically .

"No, it doesn't matter now." Scorpius gave Albus, who was watching the scene with a frown, a nervous glance. "It can wait. Come on, Albus."

Albus didn't argue. He merely turned back to shout at James to tell Freddie and Louis to leave him alone. James couldn't help but watch Scorpius and Albus walk back up to the castle together—close enough to bump arms as they walked—and wondered whether seeing them together would hurt less.

He shoved these thoughts away and decided to ask Freddie and Louis what they had been annoying Albus about now.

**

The next time James saw Scorpius was when he was in the Hospital Wing. James wanted to be a Healer and when hiis homework was driving him up the wall, he went up to the Hospital Wing and practiced with Madam Pomfrey.

"Right, now if Miss Sun allows it, you cast the monitoring spell on her." Madam Pomfrey was tending to a fourth year Hufflepuff girl, Li Sun. She was watching James' every move with a sort of hungry interest, though it seemed to be more directed at his Healing spells rather than James himself. 

James waved his wand with practiced motion and rather than just the flat nothing he got before, he saw Li's body flash with light, brighter at the right wrist where it was healing slowly. It had been a nasty break and Madam Pomfrey had talked both James and Li through the whole procedure.

"What did you see?" Li demanded. The Hospital Wing door slammed open as James started to explain the light that had flashed over Li. He trailed off when he started to eavesdrop on Madam Pomfrey's conversation and span around when he heard a very familiar name.

"Scorpius! What's going on?" He strode forward and cast an apologetic look back at Li when she objected. Scorpius looked awful though, pale and shaking, but the weirdest thing was that Albus wasn't by his side. As soon as he saw James, his gaze lit up with recognition and he stumbled over to him.

"James, the flitterbloom is hugging the bowtruckles," he said, stunning James completely. Scorpius looked frustrated at his reaction and grabbed hold of James' robes at the front. Madam Pomfrey was frowning at Scorpius in the background, waving her wand in a familiar diagnostic spell, one far more advanced than James had just done, but did nothing to stop him from shaking James' robe front.

"Scorpius, I don't understand."

"James, the green broomstick is with the robot." Even Scorpius appeared to be confused at what he’d just said and he gave James a panicked look. James looked into Scorpius' light, pleading eyes, and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He had no idea what to do, so he placed his hands on Scorpius' upper arms and began rubbing them up and down in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

It was then that he realized that he had never been this close to Scorpius before, nor had he ever touched him in this way. James ignored the urge to pull the other boy closer, and turned to Madam Pomfrey—silently begging for help—before turning back to Scorpius. 

"Have you consumed anything strange recently?" James asked anxiously. Scorpius gave him an irritated look before shaking his head definitively.

"Have you been cursed, Scorpius?" James asked desperately. 

Scorpius nodded frantically before giving James a relieved smile. His grey eyes were bright and for a brief moment James thought Scorpius was going to hug him.

"A nasty curse," Madam Pomfrey interjected, startling James out of his hopeful fantasy. Her expression was stern and disapproving. James' happiness at being there for Scorpius dissolved into worry.

"Can you do something about it?" he asked, only to have Madam Pomfrey shoot him a quelling look.

"Of course I can. But it will take concentration and some time." Scorpius looked back at her, his eyebrows furrowed in what was either disbelief or annoyance. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, time. Mr. Potter, please get him settled on one of the beds."

"Can I watch?" Li asked excitedly as Madam Pomfrey hurried past her bed.

"A flying bowtruckle is outside the window," Scorpius stated incoherently, but his voice was firm.

"I think that means no," James declared Scorpius gave him a pleased nod of approval. Li huffed.

"Could you at least fix my arm?" she whined petulantly.

"I'm not going anywhere near your arm,” James insisted. “If anything were to go wrong, I could end up removing all your bones and that means even more Skele-Gro!" Li pouted. James just rolled his eyes. He felt a tug on the sleeve of his robe and turned to see Scorpius scowling at him. Scorpius gestured towards James, then Li, and then the room around them.

"What am I doing here?" James guessed uncertainly. Scorpius gave him an affirming smile.  _ Bloody hell _ , James thought. He could really get used to that gorgeous smile. "Oh, since I want to be a Healer after Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey allows me to come here and observe her sometimes.” 

Scorpius' eyebrows rose up again and it looked like he was actually impressed. He tried not to preen and blush too much, but he felt like it was a lost cause when Scorpius looked at him like that.

"Maple syrup has flooded Gryffindor Tower," Scorpius said seriously, as if this made any sense. James tried not to laugh, knowing the odd statement was likely the result of whatever curse Scorpius had been hit with, but Li had no such qualms.

"Maple syrup?" She giggled and ignored the glare Scorpius shot her way. He turned away from her with a look of extreme disdain on his face and then pointed at himself while Madam Pomfrey approached his bed. He made several more gestures which James tried in vain to figure out. 

"No, Mr. Potter will not be casting the reversal spell on you," Madam Pomfrey answered.

"Oh no, I definitely wouldn't be confident about that." James held up his hands in surrender when Scorpius shot him a look. "Don't look at me like that, I've only just started learning the actual spells after doing about a year of theory first."

"He will be dealing with Miss Sun," Madam Pomfrey said firmly and James moved away from Scorpius, obeying the unspoken command. 

“Madam Pomfrey, are you sure?” Broken bones were difficult and as he said earlier to Li, he didn’t want her to have to have more Skele-Gro. 

“I’m confident you know how to do the spell. And if Miss Sun consents, you can mend the bone.” 

“I do,” Li said with a bright smile up at James. He rolled his eyes—sometimes she reminded him too much of Lily—and raised his wand. He had practiced this spell many times before but never on an actual person. 

"Stay still, Mr. Malfoy!" Madam Pomfrey barked and James looked over, distracted, to find Scorpius' eyes on him.

"Oh. Someone is jealous," Li said in that sing-song voice she used when she wanted to be extra annoying.

"He is not." James wished more than anything he was but he knew better. Scorpius was a kind person, it had been one of the first things James had noticed about him. Him wanting to be friends with James, or even looking at him while he worked didn’t mean what James wanted it to mean. He wasn’t going to torture himself with false hope. 

“He  _ sooo _ is,” Li muttered under her breath; clearly as a way to ensure she got the last word while pretending she was taking the high ground. Albus did it all the time.

Thoughts of his brother had James turning back to focus on Li with more determination than he had before. When he looked up again, Madam Pomfrey was alone by the bed and Scorpius was gone.

"He looked at you longingly and then left," Li said when James realised he was gone. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen someone so obviously pining in real life before. I thought that only happened in books."

Madam Pomfrey swooped down on them and did her own diagnostic spells on Li. "Good job, Mr. Potter. Miss Sun, you are fine to go back to your dormitory now." James got to stripping the bed of sheets as soon as Li started to walk towards the door but Madam Pomfrey waited until the door had closed behind Li before speaking. "I told Mr. Malfoy to go back to his dormitory. The Tongue-Withering curse will need regular treatments over the next week and I want you to come by every evening to be here for the treatment. In the meantime, you can research the Tongue-Withering Curse and tell me what Healers have to look out for."

James absorbed this information for a moment and then smiled at Madam Pomfrey. "Of course. Thanks, Madam Pomfrey. I'll see you tomorrow after dinner." His homework was definitely going to suffer over the next week, but he was going to get to see Scorpius every time and there was no reason to feel guilty since James was just learning how to be the best Healer he could be.

It was three days into Scorpius' treatment and James spent most of his time in the Hospital Wing or working on his potions project, something which he had to concentrate on otherwise he would be left with a mess. The wandering thoughts of Scorpius which had been distracting him ever since Saturday couldn't be allowed in this room.

"So, Scorpius got cursed by someone?" Albus' voice had James startling just bad enough that he dropped the powdered unicorn horn into his practice potion, causing it to hiss and turn a foul green.

"Albus, do you know how long that took?" James furiously extinguished his flames as his potion curdled and turned into a solid mass. "A month's worth of work wasted because you couldn't wait until I was done." He had thought he had hexed the door to make sure no one could come in but he might have been so busy trying not to think about Scorpius that he forgot.

"You'll do another one." Albus shrugged.

"Everyone thinks you're so nice. They never see you when you're being a complete arsehole." James finished unleashing his frustration but when he looked at his brother, Albus looked irritatingly unphased. 

"Really?" Albus seemed surprised by this. "Does Margo think I'm nice?"

"Margo Delaney? She's in my year. Don't you think you're a little young for her?" James recognised the hypocrisy of what he just said but the thought of confident, chatty Margo dating his little brother was just strange.

"Aunt Luna said Dad dated Cho Chang in the year above when he was fifteen. I'm going to be of age next month." Albus puffed out his chest and James was suddenly very tired. The thought of him liking Scorpius, while Scorpius had a crush on Albus while Albus pined after Margo made him want to laugh and cry at the same time

"So you heard about what happened to Scorpius," he prompted his brother.

"Yeah. Do you have any clue who did it? Scorpius said he had to go for treatments every day for a week but then he started talking about centaurs for some reason and I couldn't get anymore out of him."

"It's a side effect of the Tongue-Withering curse,” James explained. “If left untreated, it slowly erodes your tongue. There is no way of growing it back once the damage is done. " James coloured a little at Albus' blank look. "Madam Pomfrey told me to research it and how you medically treat it before it gets to the irreversible point."

Albus' eyes narrowed with sudden suspicion. "Why do you care so much about what happens to Scorpius?" he asked. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I like him," James retorted defensively. Then, a second too late, he reconsidered his answer. "I was in the Hospital Wing when Scorpius came in and it was an interesting case," he explained hurriedly. Fortunately, Albus seemed to accept his answer.

"Okay. Is there anything Scorpius needs to help him get better?" Albus' eyes were big and green and James felt his anger melting. Albus was good at getting James to do what he wanted.

"No. Just make sure he keeps going to the Hospital Wing every day after dinner. The effects will die down in about five days but he needs to do the full seven day course."

"You're going to be a good Healer," Albus said as he straightened up from when he had been leaning against the desk. James, surprised by the sudden compliment, ducked his head, flattered. 

"Thanks, Al."

James watched him go and then looked back at his ruined potion. He sighed and vanished what was left before gathering up his notes. Professor Davies would not be impressed. Maybe he would go and see if Scorpius was okay before he had to face her.

** 

The next day Scorpius was in the Hospital Wing, quieter and seemingly smaller than usual. James did the required spells he was allowed to do and then prepared a flask of the potion Scorpius had to take at exactly eight thirteen each evening.

"What's going on? You seem upset,” James said quietly. There was no one else in the Hospital Wing apart from Madam Pomfrey but it felt too still and quiet to speak louder. 

"The castle is on fire," Scorpius replied just as quietly. A frustrated expression crossed his face and he looked like he wanted to bite his tongue. "I meant," he said carefully, "that I'm okay. I just wish I knew who did this to me. Madam Pomfrey said this was a permanent curse. Which means that someone wanted me to lose the use of my tongue forever."

James wanted to give him soothing advice—something kind and comforting like Neville could do so well—but all he felt was a growing anger at whoever had done this to Scorpius. Not only had they cursed him, with a potentially permanent curse, but they'd left Scorpius with the knowledge someone in school wanted to hurt him like this.

"Has anything unusual happened recently? Like since the year started?" James asked, one eye on the clock as it showed ten past eight.

Scorpius shrugged, looking more unhappy as he did so. "I can't think of anything. And it wasn't like I was doing anything when I got hit, I was just walking along, doing my Prefect rounds when someone did this to me."

"Well, we can probably rule out the first, second and third years. I've been researching the curse and not even the most determined, most intelligent third year could have cast this spell. Fourth years are a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn't put it past a couple of them." James chewed the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of who he could remember having a grudge against Scorpius. "What we need to do is make a list of everyone and cross them out as we get down to it."

"That seems like a big job. Why are you helping me?" Scorpius blinked up at him, his grey eyes somehow seeming to be bigger than usual. James found himself drawn in and had to clear his throat to remind him of where they were.

"Because this shouldn't have happened to you. The Tongue-Withering curse is nasty and I don't want whoever did this to get away with it."  _ Or have another go _ , James thought silently. "And I thought we were friends."

"We are friends!" Scorpius looked like he was going to leap up off the bed if James didn't believe his words.

James couldn't repress a smile at Scorpius' insistence. "Friends care about what happens to each other," he said. Just then, the alarm he’d set chimed when it reached thirteen minutes past eight and he handed Scorpius the potion. The look Scorpius gave him was not a happy one but he drank the potion willingly enough, knowing it was necessary all the same.

Scorpius couldn't open his mouth for fifteen minutes after he had drunk the potion so James cleared his workspace before standing up straight and looking Scorpius dead in the eye.

"I'll help you find him, okay?" 

Scorpius gave him a sweet, shy smile and James felt his heart beat faster as he smiled back, unable to do anything else.

**

There was only one person James knew who might be persuaded to help him to get a list of everyone in the school. Unlike with Albus, James had known Lily would go into Slytherin without a moment's hesitation. She was smart enough for Ravenclaw but was also incredibly ambitious, always making friends with people wherever she went and then would say it was 'making connections' when asked. There was a reason she had never gotten into trouble when they were growing up as well, always careful to shift blame onto her brothers or the owl or the cat. He knew it baffled his parents that they had two children in Slytherin and one in Hufflepuff but they didn't seem upset by it, more bemused. Everyone had known by the time Lily was eight that she was going into Slytherin, much like everyone knew Hugo would be going into Ravenclaw at the same time.

"My wonderfully brilliant little sister," James cooed with a charming grin as he stepped out from one of the secret passageways along the corridor where the Slytherin dungeon resided.

"Points for the compliment, negative points for how obvious you are," Lily said without breaking stride. "What do you want?" James was forced to turn on his heel and stride to catch up with her, until they were walking together. "You have until I get to the Common Room."

"I need a list of everyone in the school. Students," he added, not sure whether he should have included teachers. "Can you get it?"

Lily gave him a withering look. "Of course I can. The question is what are you going to give me in return?"

James took a moment to consider it. "You're going to do it because you're a good person," he said with a confidence he didn't quite feel. Lily gave him a look that said exactly what she thought of that idea and James continued, "have you heard of the Tongue-Withering Curse?"

Now Lily looked interested rather than unimpressed, though she tried hard to hide it. "It's one they used in the nineteenth century on house elves when they heard secrets they shouldn't have heard and the elves didn't belong to them so they couldn't just order them not to tell. Since house elves couldn't read or write back then, they were left unable to communicate."

The thought left an unpleasant taste in James' mouth. "Aunt Hermione's crusade for elf rights makes more and more sense the more I learn." He shook himself. "Someone shot that curse at Scorpius."

Lily's eyes went wide. "What?" She blinked. "Scorpius, really? Did they even mean to hit him or were they aiming for someone else?"

"He was doing his rounds and they hit him from behind." Just thinking about it made James’ blood boil.

"But why Scorpius? Yes, he can be annoying but he’s not that bad. Throw his homework into the fire and watch him cry, sure, but curse him like this?" Lily looked troubled but James suspected it was more at the inefficiency of using that kind of curse rather than the cruelty which was getting to her. She liked Scorpius at least, despite her words to the contrary.

"I don't know. I want to find out who it is and I think it would go a lot faster if I had a list of everyone in Hogwarts so I can cross people off as I go."

"That's so inefficient. And if someone cursed Scorpius like this, they're probably going to do something again." She paused for a moment in her long strides. "Have you talked to Dad about this?"

James snorted. "Really, Lils?"

"He does do this for a living and if you're cautious about it, he won't know that it's anything but theoretical." Out of all three of them, Lily had probably the best relationship with their dad. James was too much like him, Albus liked to be dramatic and have huge fights in order to live up to the stereotype of being a teenager and their dad was far more likely to indulge him in this than their mum. Lily and their dad were complete opposites but Lily said their dad's reactions made sense to her and he in return treated her with calm respect.

"Yeah and what happens when he guesses it's something going on? He'll charge up here and bother everyone to find out what was going on. Not to mention if it he finds out Scorpius is the target, he'll get the Malfoys involved and you know Scorpius' dad would freak out and then Scorpius would get upset." James liked how much Scorpius' dad loved him but his mother's calm demeanor had been far more welcome when he had met both of them.

"And we don't want to upset Scorpius, do we?" Lily's sly smile made James' cheeks burn hot. She always saw far too much. "Look, I know you are already stretched thin with N.E.W.Ts and your work with Madam Pomfrey. You focus on that. I'll find out who cursed Scorpius."

James hated the idea of just standing back and letting his sister deal with it but he knew that, out of the two of them, she was far more likely to succeed. He did not have the best personality for sneaking or subtlety. "Will you do it or not?"

"Hmm." Lily paused in the middle of the corridor. James knew the Slytherin Common Room was about ten feet down and to the left, but he let Lily pretend that he didn't know where it was. "I suppose if anything happens to Scorpius, I'll have to deal with you and Albus looking miserable at home. Why not?"

James smiled gratefully. The fact that she was doing this without asking for a favour in return was proof that she liked Scorpius more than she let on. "Thanks, Lils. You're the best." He gave her a hug which she returned reluctantly before setting off back to his own Common Room. 

**

Three days later, Lily had no news and James was battling with his guilt over getting his sister to look for the person who cursed Scorpius rather than doing it himself. Lily was better at it than he was and it wasn't like he had the time between his studies, the Hospital Wing and staying with Scorpius when he had treatments for the curse but that didn't stop his sleep from being restless.

One night he decided to take out his dad's cloak and take a walk to clear his head. When he opened the Map to make sure he avoided Filch and Mrs Harris, he caught sight of a name hovering over a dot at the top of the astronomy tower. He climbed the stairs, confused and a little concerned, especially after what Madam Pomfrey had told him had happened before he got to the Hospital Wing.

"Scorpius, what are you doing up here?" James asked as soon as he opened the door to the roof of the North Tower. It was freezing cold, rain falling in a light mist, and Scorpius' pale hair and skin stood out in stark contrast to the night sky.

"How did you know I was up here?" Scorpius didn't look at him, instead he continued to stare out across the grounds. He was wearing a cloak at least but James thought there was no reason to be out in the rain.

"Lucky guess." James wondered if Scorpius wished it was Al here instead. "Why are you up here? Madam Pomfrey said you were upset when you left the Hospital Wing." Scorpius hadn't waited for James to arrive, which had stung a little.

"The Headmistress told me that they found the wizard who cursed me. Apparently, he's left Hogwarts now. His parents are home-schooling him to avoid the shame of him being expelled from Hogwarts."

James didn't know what to say to that. He was glad the guy was gone but Scorpius seemed unmoored and he was carefully not saying the name of who had cursed him. "Did she say why the guy did it?" He took a careful step forward.

"Don't you want to know who it is?" Scorpius asked, avoiding the question neatly.

"If you want to tell me. But you're upset and I'm guessing it's either who it is or why they did it." James moved until he was close to Scorpius but not touching him, careful to give him space.

"It's my  _ fucking _ cousin, James. I knew Elias never liked me and he hated how I was heir to both the Greengrass and Malfoy names but I never thought he would do this."

James didn't know much about Elias Greengrass, only the fact that he was younger than Scorpius and had been small and unobtrusive the whole time he was at Hogwarts. Not someone you expected to cast the Tongue-Withering Curse at anyone, let alone his cousin. Then he remembered what else Scorpius had said. "What did your aunt and uncle say after they found out?"

Scorpius jerked his head to one side. "I haven't seen them since it happened." He shuddered. "This is going to hurt Mum so much—I can't deal with it. I just can't."

Alarmed, James stepped closer. "Scorpius, let me help you. Please."

The kiss came as a shock but James recovered fast, pulling Scorpius closer until his warm body was pressed against James' front. His back was freezing from the chilly night and the light drizzle but underneath it all he was so warm. He snogged Scorpius with every inch of skill he possessed, not thinking about why he was doing, but only knowing he wanted to make sure this was the best kiss of Scorpius' life. Scorpius tasted of mint and his tongue eagerly met James as he deepened the kiss, unable to help himself.

So many nights he had dreamed of pressing himself into Scorpius and taking him apart kiss by kiss. In his fantasies, they had a room with a bed and it wasn't raining on their heads but somehow the constant sensory input was making everything better. James felt wilder than normal, more free under the cloudy sky, and he didn't hold back with Scorpius. He wanted Scorpius to feel everything of what James was feeling.

The robes were a hindrance to James’ hands searching for bare, warm skin, but he managed it all the same. Scorpius groaned against James' mouth, his hands resting lightly on James' shoulders. James was feeling dizzy from lack of air and it was only the thought that Scorpius must be feeling the same thing which made James pull back.

When he pulled back, reality came with it. Scorpius liked Albus and James had just kissed him. He should apologise, he should say something— _ anything _ —to make this better but he couldn't force himself to utter words that weren't true. If he had the chance, he would kiss him all over again and he couldn't look at Scorpius and lie, even if it was to save their friendship.

"I've wanted to do that for a while." James wanted to bite his tongue. There was a big difference between not lying to Scorpius and just letting everything fall out of his mouth like that. "I hope it doesn't cause problems with Albus."

"I'm sure he'll get over it." Scorpius gave James a shy smile, the rain starting to mist in his hair and creating a glow in the wandlight. He looked far happier than he had when James first came onto the roof and that could only be a good thing. "That was a good kiss."

Now James was the one smiling. "I'm glad." He put a hand on Scorpius' cheek, the skin cooler than it should be and a little damp. "We should get inside. You're getting cold."

Scorpius seemed to hear something in James' voice because he grabbed James' hand and pulled him inside. "James, about Elias—"

"Malfoy! Potter! What are you doing out of bed and out of bounds?" Professor Vector's voice was an unpleasant blast of ice to what was growing between Scorpius and James right at that moment. James stepped back and looked at the teacher. Vector was furious, her golden-brown eyes sparking with her anger. She yelled at them for a good minute but all James could focus on was Scorpius standing next to him, completely silent. When she sent Scorpius down the tower, she kept James up there with her.

"Professor, can't I—" James protested as Scorpius gave him one last look before disappearing out the door.

"No, you may not!" Vector's short brown hair seemed to bristle in her rage. "You don't look the slightest bit sorry. You are nearly at the end of your schooling, an adult, and you should be setting a good example for the younger students."

James wanted to point out that Scorpius was a sixth year and was probably already getting up to trouble all on his own without James' help, but he had some sense of self-preservation and kept his mouth shut. After Vector gave him a detention with her and a detention with Professor Sprout, she finally allowed James to head off to bed.

To his dismay, Scorpius wasn't waiting for him around the corner, though James was sure it would have been a long shot. No need to risk being caught by Vector and Filch on the same night.

James walked to his dorm and undressed for bed. When he laid down, however, his mind was churning too much to sleep. After spending about ten minutes debating with himself, he got out of bed and crept over to Louis. His cousin came awake with a start but his gaze when he looked at James was bleary.

"Louis, I have to talk to you," he urged. James felt guilty about waking his cousin up, but Louis had done the same to him last year when he had a meltdown over his choice of N.E.W.Ts and whether he was making the wrong decision. Freddie would have cursed him and gone back to sleep but Louis just sat up, yawning.

"What's up?"

James cast a silencing charm on the curtains before climbing onto the bed and telling Louis everything about the kiss, though he evaded the subject of who exactly had cursed Scorpius. 

"And I don't know what to do. He likes Albus and there I am just getting in the way of the whole thing."

"Well, if he kissed you then he's not so interested in Albus, is he?" Louis asked as he covered up another yawn. James gave him a look but he felt like it was wasted on his tired cousin.

"First of all, you can like two people at the same time. Second of all, just because you kiss someone back after they plant one of you doesn't necessarily mean you like them. Third of all, Scorpius didn't say anything about dating or liking me, even when I told him that I've wanted to kiss him for a long time." James counted off the reasons on his fingers and wondered if his parents would let him come home for the Easter holidays so he could avoid Scorpius for three weeks. Not likely when N.E.W.T.s were around the corner.

"You've thought way too much into this," Louis muttered but James knew he was just saying that because he couldn't actually disagree that much with what James was saying. 

"I think I've just made him really confused." And James didn't want to get in between Albus and Scorpius. Not only because it would hurt both of them but also because he didn't want to date someone who would be looking over his shoulder at his brother the whole time.

"James, all you can do is talk to him tomorrow. Okay?" Louis' pale blue eyes were warm and understanding and James wished he had Louis for a brother instead. He was sure this situation wouldn’t happen with Louis. 

"Yeah, I guess so. Just why did it have to be my brother?" James climbed off Louis' bed and went back to his own, sliding beneath the covers. He didn't think about the detention he had with Professor Vector tomorrow night, he didn't think about his practice test for Charms was on Wednesday, he just thought about Scorpius and how much it was going to hurt when he chose Albus over James. He wasn't down on himself, he knew he was a pretty decent person and could be smart and funny at times but Scorpius had been friends with Albus for five years. Five years of dealing with Albus as a nervous first year, then an even more nervous fifth year. If Scorpius had to choose one of them to have in his life, he would pick Albus everytime and James could hardly blame him for that. But if it was a romantic relationship up in the air, that changed things as much as he wished it didn't.

The next morning, they were back in lessons and on top of being tired, James hadn't been able to talk to Scorpius all day. He had wondered whether he was paranoid in thinking Scorpius was avoiding him but when the other boy caught sight of him at the end of the corridor and hurriedly ducked down a secret passageway, his fears were confirmed.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as that," Louis said, though his expression was doubtful. Freddie had heard about the whole drama from Louis over breakfast but chose not to say anything. Maybe James looked just that pathetic, or maybe he understood that James wouldn’t appreciate his particular brand of teasing right now.

James thought he couldn't feel worse but Albus cornered him after lunch when James was walking back down to the Hufflepuff Common Room for his free period, which would be spent on doing the homework he wouldn't be able to do tonight thanks to his detention with Professor Vector that night and the one with Professor Sprout tomorrow night. At least with Professor Sprout he would be learning something useful for his Herbology N.E.W.T.

"James, I've been looking for you everywhere." Albus looked around the corridor shiftily, as if someone was going to leap out and admit to eavesdropping at any moment.

"Yes, Al?" James wasn't in the mood for Albus' drama right now.

"Can I borrow the Map? I told Scorpius I would be able to get a hold of it again but I didn't tell him how I was going to get a hold of it." James blinked and tried to make sense of what Albus had just said. His brother sighed as if being James' brother was particularly painful today.

"Why does Scorpius want to borrow the Map?" James asked, holding onto his temper with great effort.

"He wasn't completely sure. He said about wanting to avoid someone and needing the Map for that." Albus shrugged as if what he said hadn't confirmed James' worst fears. He wanted to say something, to snap at Albus to be happy he had won, but the words got caught in his throat. He looked away in fear that Albus would see right through him.

"No, he can't borrow it. I'm using it tonight." James didn't want to picture Scorpius staring at his dot on the Map and going out of his way to avoid him completely.

"What? What are you even using it for?" Albus asked scornfully. "Aren't you meant to be a responsible seventh year now? I thought jokes were more Hugo's thing than yours anyway."

"None of your business, Al," James replied coldly. He felt like he had himself under sufficient control to be able to look at his younger brother. When he turned his head, Albus was staring at him like James had just announced he was moving to America and living as a Muggle for the rest of his life. "I know who Scorpius wants to avoid. Let him know that I'll make sure he won't bother Scorpius. No Map needed."

"What? How do you know? Who is it?" Albus shot at him and James shrugged one shoulder. Albus' green eyes narrowed into slits. It seemed his temper was rising as well. "What the hell is going on with you two? First Scorpius gets cursed and then you seem to be showing up everywhere we go. Wait," Albus said, holding up a hand. "Is the guy who cursed Scorpius the one he wants to avoid? You have to tell me who he is, James!" Albus looked actually distressed at the guy who cursed his friend getting away with it.

"No, I don't, Al," James said. "The only person who can tell you is Scorpius but the person doesn't go to Hogwarts anymore. Just let it go. Scorpius' problem is solved and you don't even have to evade questions about the Map to do so." He didn't know why Albus didn't want Scorpius to know it was James' map but he had gone ahead with what his brother wanted all the same.

And before his brother could say anything else, James walked away.

**

James stuck to his word. Over the next two weeks, he was diligent in checking his map to make sure he wasn't going to run into Scorpius at all. In between avoiding Scorpius himself and any thoughts of Scorpius and thoughts of Scorpius and Albus together like that, James was focusing on the revision for his N.E.W.Ts. It was far more intense than he had ever remembered O.W.Ls being and he, Freddie and Louis rotated between the library, the Gryffindor Common Room (which Freddie let them into gladly and ignored any comments from the other members of his house) and the Room of Requirement, shaped into the perfect study room. Louis had managed to befriend an ancient house elf in the kitchen by the name of Winky and she bought up regular hot chocolate and tea to them, along with trays of biscuits. She had sniffed at James and Freddie, seemingly taking offense to the bright red of their hair, but positively fawned over Louis.

"If I fail all my exams, you two will take pity on me, right?" Freddie asked one afternoon in the library. He had a stack of Ancient Runes books on the chair next to him and he kept giving it despairing looks as he poured over his Potions book.

"Yeah, of course," James answered.

"Just think of it this way, Freddie," Louis said with a smile that looked sweet but was really incredibly devious. "If you fail your exams, I'm sure your father will let you work in the shop." Freddie gave Louis a look of sheer horror. Freddie didn't get on well with his father over the past couple of years and he rejected everything about the shop, though he would use the products James and Louis bought without hesitation. Roxanne was the one who spent every minute she possibly could in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Whenever he heard about new drama in the Freddie's family, he felt new sympathy for his Aunt Angelina who seemed to be the most level-headed one of the family.

"If that's not motivation, I don't know what is," James said dryly before ducking his head over his textbook when he saw Madam Pince giving him the evil eye.

"James?" Scorpius' voice had him freezing over his textbook. He braces himself and turns around. Scorpius has one eyebrow raised, an unimpressed look on his face. "You've been avoiding me."

"Shhh!" Madam Pince hissed.

"James, go and talk to him," Louis said into James' ear and gave him a not-so-gentle shove until Madam Pince looked like she was about to swoop down on the lot of them. She didn't tend to kick out the N.E.W.Ts students but there was a first time for everything.

Scorpius spun on his heel and walked out of the library, not even looking back to see if James was following. Outside, he led James to an alcove by the library door, thankfully empty of snogging couples right now.

"James," Scorpius said and then stopped. James didn't know what to say either so he just stayed quiet. He wanted to kiss Scorpius and he wanted to yell at him too. He wanted to ask what Albus had that he didn't but wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer. "I don't want to—if you really don't want to talk to me then I won't make you."

James opened his mouth to say it was Scorpius who didn't want to talk to him but then Scorpius was pressing himself against James, reawakening nerve endings that had only shown themselves at the top of the tower, and sliding his lips onto James'. The kiss was once again a surprise but his body recovered quicker than his mind did, responding to Scorpius' kiss with almost embarrassing enthusiasm.

When Scorpius pulled back, they were both flushed and panting and James was once more feeling glad for concealing robes. Scorpius was pressed right against him, so was bound to be able to feel James' erection, but made no allusions to it. "Meet me on the tower tonight at ten. Bring the map and the cloak. I want to talk without being interrupted." And then he was gone, leaving James alone in the alcove and wondering when Scorpius had found out about the map and the cloak in James' possession.

**

Louis sent him off that night with a far too smug smile on his face. James wished he could disagree with Louis' assumptions but he was far too nervous for that. He walked up to the North Tower, keeping an eye on the Map the whole time. He was under the Cloak but that didn't mean he wouldn't end up walking into someone. It only occurred to him when he was climbing the steps that maybe he should have offered to walk Scorpius up to the tower itself.

Too late now.

James opened the door to the tower, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as he saw Scorpius standing there in his cloak. This time the sky was clear, the moon and the stars giving a kind of dim glow to everything. Scorpius looked beautiful and James felt the words catch in his throat as he walked towards him.

"See, I think you're looking for a way of letting me down gently and then you look at me like that." Scorpius was frowning, more thoughtful than anything. James probably should wipe whatever look was on his face off but he was tired of hiding it.

"We're diving straight in then," he said, his voice huskier than he wanted it to be.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Scorpius asked, in his straightforward manner.

James' mouth twisted. "To save you the effort of avoiding me."

"How noble," Scorpius said sarcastically. "And why do you think I would have avoided you?"

As much as it hurt to talk about it -to brace himself for the rejection that was sure to come—James was too tired to hide it anymore. If it all went horribly, he only had a few months before he left Hogwarts for good. He told Scorpius everything—about Albus asking him for the Map to avoid Scorpius, how James knew Scorpius liked Albus but Albus had expressed an interest in Margo and he was sorry about that, how he had asked Lily to find the guy who cursed him rather than look himself. James had got about eight hours of sleep over the past two nights and he was just too tired.

Scorpius listened, his expression hidden by the angle of his head and the darkness of their surroundings. He was pressed tight against James, though it was likely the temperature forcing him closer. After James had finished talking, he was breathing hard and watching his breath form clouds around Scorpius' head. His whole body was buzzing, his exhaustion fading into this strange kind of energy that was more unnatural than anything, like he was still suffering from the effects of a badly cast Cheering Charm.

"If we're going to do this, you have to stop making assumptions about what I'm feeling." Scorpius' voice was soft but firm, an undercurrent of anger penetrating James' exhausted, panicking brain.

"What?" He felt slow and confused, especially when Scorpius raised his head and met James' gaze, his own grey eyes ablaze with anger.

"You just made all these assumptions about how I obviously fancied Al and how I wanted to avoid you. Did you ever think to ask me?" Scorpius was shorter than James by half a foot but it didn't feel like that at that moment. He was more attractive than ever to James' eye, even when he was yelling at James.

"Did I want to hear that the guy I liked was more interested in my brother and only kissed me because he was upset about his arsehole cousin? No, not really."

Scorpius made an inarticulate sound and slammed his forehead against James' chest, catching his collarbone. It stung, but his words were starting to get through to James, finally. "Wait a minute, if we start this? What are we starting?"

Scorpius raised his head again and glared at James. "You like me and I like you, which anyone else would have seen from a mile off."

"And you've never liked Al?" James asked, because he had to be sure. When Scorpius went still, his heart sank.

"When I was about thirteen, I thought I liked Al. But that was me just figuring out that I fancied guys and Al was the safest boy to have a crush on at that time," Scorpius replied defensively. James nodded slowly, accepting that.

"But now you like me?" He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that revelation.

"Why wouldn't I like you?" Scorpius sounded completely exasperated but James felt like he could fly. He laughed and saw Scorpius was smiling a little, like he couldn't help himself either.

This time when they kissed, it wasn't a surprise, it wasn't quick and it wasn't interrupted. It was hot and wonderful and it was round about the time when James started to consider logistics in his head about getting Scorpius onto a relatively horizontal surface, that he forced himself to pull back.

"So, you want to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with me?" James asked. He had been planning on skipping it, since it was the last one before his N.E.W.Ts started, but that was before the possibility of walking around Hogsmeade with Scorpius came up.

"Yes, I think I will." Scorpius looked satisfied, like he had won something and James was hard pressed not to kiss the expression off his face.

"Perfect." James pulled Scorpius in closer. "But you might have to remind me that this conversation is real tomorrow. I've had so little sleep that I'm probably going to think this was all a dream."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or concerned," Scorpius replied from where his face was buried in James' cloak.

"It's alright, I'm going to sleep really, really well tonight." James made sure there was enough innuendo in his tone to get Scorpius rearing back, his face pink.

"You—you—" Scorpius' mock-outrage dissolved into a smile. "You just wait." And then he put his head back into the same position and showed no signs of moving.

James knew they would have to have a proper conversation tomorrow about why James thought Scorpius liked Albus, about Scorpius' cousin and what they're even going to do when James finishes his seventh year at the end of June. But that was a conversation for a future, more rested, more prepared James. Right now, all he wanted to do was stay here hugging Scorpius underneath the moon.

Tomorrow could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of the 2019 HP Next Gen Fest.


End file.
